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I let my 17 mo old cry it out last night. Opinions, advice, etc.??

She is 17 month sold and has been waking in the night every night for as long as I can remember. We go in and put her pacifier back in and she will usual,y go back to sleep. And there are times she cries and we have to get her calmed back down or rock. And I have been nursing her every morning between 5-6:30. She goes to bed at 9 and I make sure her belly is full. Well she woke up last night at 4 Nd my hubby went in and put her pacifier back in and the. She woke again at 4:30 and we both said that it is crazy that she still wakes and is 17 months old. I think she cries because she knows someone will come running she puts herself to sleep at both naps and at bedtime every day so why can't she in the middle of the night. We are both tired And thought we would try something different last night. She cried from 4:30-5:00 a d then not a whimper until 8:30. So if she ws hungry, wouldn't she had woken before then? I don't like her to cry but sometimes I think it is best to go ahead and break bad hats. We have 10 pacifiers in the crib it isn't like she can't find one and put it in. So don't you think if she really gets up to eat she would have woken before 8:30?

Could she have woken up for another reason? Too hot, too cold, wet diaper, bad dream, etc? My 3 year old wakes up sometimes in the middle of the night but its not to eat. Usually she has to go to the bathroom, wants a drink of water, is too hot/cold, or lost her favorite stuffed animal under the blanket and can't find it. I agree if she is waking up to eat then its a good idea to try to curb that but is that really why she woke up is the question.

I could deal with waking once in a while but every single night for probably the last year! And yes she eats 3 meals (table food), snacks and is breasted 3 times a day! So that is what I was thinking, she should be full until morning!

I would let her cry. She should be sleeping through the night unless she is sick or something else is wrong but like you said its probably because she is use to you coming when she cries. As long as shes ok physically I would let her cry it out, she will eventually stop just like she did last night and sleep

How about giving your little one a nice bath before bedtime with one of those liquid soaps that are for babies and toddlers for night times. They have ingredients in them that soothe, comfort and relax the little one so she can sleep peacefully and soundly. You might want to try using one of these as a night time ritual you do to get her ready for bed. Try putting in one of those cute little night lights in her room ( maybe she is afraid of sleeping in a completely darkened room ) place a few of the pacifiers nearby in case she wakes up and needs that little something to comfort her and maybe a little stuffed toy there in the bed with her. I just don't think it's a good idea to let her cry it out. Of course you will check and make sure she's dry and the room is too hot or too cold, with the pacifier nearby she should be able to find it and then put it in her mouth and comfort herself. If she's not in any kind of distress or hungry, these might help.

hmm, when i read this i was thinking maybe she wants to get up and actually begin the day at 430 or between the 5-630 period when she's nursed. i wonder if she's getting ready to drop the second nap because DS changed his sleep habits around this time and went to only one nap as i recall. I'd also suggest a bowl of oatmeal at night before you put her down because maybe she has supper at 5 but doesn't go to bed till 9, snack'd be good?

my daughter use to do that but what i think the problem with her was that she got a bit scared of being alone and in the dark... i had her crib in my room so i would just lay down in my bed facing her so she could see me from her crib until she would fall asleep about 20mins later... I would agree on letting them cry but I couldnt do that with her, she would throw up after 10mins of crying.... maybe leave her a toy she can play with til she falls asleep, with the light on or dimmed...?

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